


The Way of the Universe

by celestialfaery



Category: Original Work
Genre: Falling In Love, Fate & Destiny, Fluff, High School, M/M, Magical Realism, Romance, celestial beings - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 13:12:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20447675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialfaery/pseuds/celestialfaery
Summary: As a celestial being, Minghua has only ever observed the fascinating lives of humans from his home in the cosmos. He has never had the urge to visit Earth. That is… until he catches sight of Junhui, a boy with the most beautiful voice Minghua has ever heard, who spends his nights singing to the stars.The universe moves in mysterious ways. No one can predict the ways of the universe, even a being made of stardust. Sometimes, you must just take risks and let fate show you the way.





	1. The World is Different From Yesterday

Some say everything happens for a reason. That everything that comes your way, whether good or bad, is all a part of one big plan the universe has created for you. There are those that wholeheartedly believe in this theory, and leave their lives and decisions in fate’s hands, letting whatever happens, happen. 

There are others that detest this; the idea that they might have no control over their own future, that no matter what they do, fate will intervene whether they like it or not. People control their own lives, they believe, not some so-called fate.

But in reality, there is truth in both beliefs. You do have control over your own destiny, but the universe still has its plans for you, and it intends to guide you toward them one way or another.

Celestial beings are born from pure stardust, birthed from the all-powerful cosmos, stitched together by constellations, and gifted the knowledge of the universe. Though not all of it, so that they may have plenty of room to learn about the ever expanding and evolving universe themselves.

Living among only their brothers and sisters, with no parental guardians of any sort, they have the free will to do whatever they please. And this free will is usually abused. Celestial beings are essentially mischievous children, with the powers of the universe at their fingertips; not a very good combination.

Minghua, however, was never like that. From the moment he was created, from the moment he set eyes on the planet known as Earth, all he never felt was adoration for it and its people. While other celestials created mischief and havoc, Minghua peacefully sat by and watched. Humans were far more fascinating to watch when left alone, without the influence of his kind bothering them. 

In over eighteen-thousand years of existence, Minghua never had the urge to go and bother humans, to see their world up close. He would watch as other celestials visited Earth for the sole purpose of messing with humans or gawking at how ‘odd’ they were. He was perfectly content with the idea of never leaving his home in the cosmos.

Though, in the blink of an eye, that mindset of his was completely changed.

He wasn’t exaggerating when he said that this human was the most beautiful human he had ever seen. The first time he laid eyes on him, it felt like an eternity before he could tear them away. For several minutes, Minghua even questioned if the boy was actually a celestial being. From the way his skin seemed to glow in the sunlight, to the way his body moved with a natural elegance when he danced, his beauty seemed almost too ethereal to be human.

And when Minghua heard him sing for the first time, his mind was made up that he _needed _to meet this boy.

Normally, where celestial beings reside is close enough to Earth to clearly watch them, but not quite close enough to actually hear the voices and sounds of Earth. So imagine the shock, as one night while Minghua was watching the beautiful human, he could suddenly hear his voice as clear as day, as he lifted his head up to the night sky and sang to the stars.

The boy sat out on his bedroom balcony almost every night to sing to the stars, and each night, Minghua felt himself falling more and more in love with a human being he had never even met. 

And so he intended to finally meet him. Something was pulling him toward this human, something he couldn’t fully explain, and he desperately wanted to follow it.

It was a fantastical display when he left his home, of all the matter and dust that made up his being coming together to stitch together a physical body, as he let himself gracefully fall to Earth. At first, he was simply an outline of sharp angles and vague shapes, nothing more than one of the constellations he was created from. But as he entered Earth’s atmosphere, and the cosmos that gave him life enveloped him and protected him in their glittering clouds, his body began to take real shape. 

The swirls of the milky way clung to his growing shape to form glimmering skin; a piece of the endless sky was ripped down to create his dark hair, sparkling like obsidian and amethyst; meteorites and clouds and icy crystals crushed down to create his eyes, shimmering and endlessly shifting in hues, tiny galaxies swirling about in his irises, as if an entire universe lived within him.

When the clouds protecting him finally laid him down on the soft grass and departed back to the sky above, it was a long moment before Minghua slowly opened his eyes and took in his first breath of oxygen. 

He felt… strange, to say the least.

Pushing himself up into a sitting position, he took a couple minutes to examine his new body, running his hands along the smooth skin, stretching out and testing all the joints the way he had watched humans bend their limbs, pinching and poking himself to test his new sensations.

He lifted one hand up above his head, his sheer sleeve falling down to his elbow, wiggling his new slender fingers as he examined them against the bright moonlight. The moon wasn’t as bright as he was used to. He felt a bit bad for the humans in that moment, as he dropped his hand into his lap and stared up at the night sky that seemed so empty and dull, the light pollution only letting a few small clusters of stars shine here and there. He hoped the sky wasn’t always like this. Even if he couldn’t be with them, he still wished to see _all _of his brothers and sisters, to feel connected to them even as he walked among humans.

As he pushed himself to his feet, he felt a little wobbly at first. His body was heavier than he was expecting. A lot of things about this were much different than he expecting, but he was sure he would adjust with time. Though for now he couldn’t focus too much on learning about his new body. His main focus needed to be finding the boy with the beautiful voice.

And so, after taking a few experimental steps, he strode out of the empty park he landed in. As he stepped out into the bustling city streets, he once again looked up to the sky, eyes scanning the vast darkness before landing on two particularly bright stars. Before leaving the cosmos, Minghua had requested the help of two of his celestial brothers to guide him while he was on Earth. Being in a human body came with limitations after all, an obvious one being that he could no longer see the world from above. So his brothers, begrudgingly, agreed to assist him and be his eyes to help guide him through this confusing planet.

His eyes briefly fluttered closed and a gentle smile formed on his lips as he felt his brothers connect to him, struggling a bit with the distance, but managing nonetheless. He could once again hear their voices in his mind, as they instructed him where to go.

It wouldn’t be long now before he could finally come face to face with the human he felt so incredibly drawn to.

* * *

"Jun?"

“Juuun.”

"Jun!"

Jun jolted awake, half closed eyes flying open and head shooting up from his desk to look at Minsoo, who was sitting backwards in his chair, a look of confusion and concern on his face.

“You feelin’ okay?” 

Taking a minute to blink away the haze in his eyes and lightly rub away the sleep sand clinging to his eyelashes, he heaved out a sigh and slumped back down, his chin resting between his crossed arms.

"Mm, I’m fine, I just… didn’t sleep well last night.” 

“Did you stay up late again reading comics?” Woojin asked from the seat beside him, barely looking up from his phone.

Jun shot Woojin a glare. “_No_, I just… woke up randomly for _no_ reason, and then couldn’t get back to sleep for like… an _hour_. I feel like I barely slept at all, though…” He said with a groan, burying his face back in his arms.

Truthfully though, he didn't wake up for completely _no reason_, he just couldn't explain the real reason.

He had woken up with a start and a gasp, as a strange feeling exploded in his head and chest. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, but also wasn't necessarily a good feeling either. Spots and stars filled his vision, the sensation of a thousand tiny fireworks softly exploding and fizzing in his head and chest. It wasn’t painful, nor _completely _uncomfortable. It was mostly shocking, as it knocked the wind out of his lungs. A warm buzzing, tingling spread throughout him, all the way to his fingertips and toes, until he was curled up under the covers, his eyes squeezed shut and his trembling hands gripping the front of his t-shirt, as if he could pull the sensation out of himself.

The whole thing lasted only a minute, but it had felt like so much longer, time having seemingly slowed down. And even after the feeling subsided, Jun had laid awake for an hour, unable to comprehend if what he had just experienced had even been _real_, and not just a surreal dream. It felt even less real when he woke up that morning and found it hard to recall exactly what the sensations had felt like.

“It’s probably ‘cause you eat too many snacks before bed,” Woojin suggested. “Too much sugar for your brain.”

“But I snack all the time, and it never affects me like that,” Jun defended with a pout, his voice muffled. _And it never makes me feel like my head is exploding, _he wanted to add.

Woojin gave his friend a sympathetic look and rubbed comforting circles into his back, Minsoo joining in by gently petting Jun’s head. Even if neither of them knew what was really the cause of Jun’s restless night, they could still tell how their friend was suffering, his body and mind already too exhausted before class had even begun.

He thought, maybe, he could get a little bit of sleep before class started. Just one minute. Even just a few measly _seconds_ to rest his eyes would do. It was Monday morning, the start to another dull week of school, and there was nothing Jun would’ve loved more than to just go back to bed and pretend the day hadn’t started yet. 

Honestly though, it didn’t feel like it was just the lack of sleep that had Jun in a haze. Everything about this day, what was supposed to be an ordinary Monday morning, felt… _different. Off_. It was akin to the feeling of thinking you had woken up, only for something strange to happen and find you were still dreaming, before waking up for real. Except Jun felt like he was still in that second dream, and in the back of his mind, he was constantly waiting for his desk to start floating or for his teacher to turn into an octopus with six eyes, just any bizarre occurrence that would signal that none of this was real and he would wake up back in his bed, ready to start a normal day.

The fact that still absolutely nothing was happening though was both disappointing and infuriating. He wanted to believe that maybe if he went back to sleep, he could force himself out of this odd, yet boring dreamscape.

But of course, his wish for that would not be granted. He was quickly jolted back awake by the teacher’s loud voice as she entered the room, slamming a large book on her desk like a gavel to get everyone’s attention. 

“We have a new transfer student today,” The teacher announced. 

Jun was too _tired_ to care. He took advantage of being in the back of the classroom and laid his head back down, hoping the teacher wouldn’t notice anything and allow him to get his well-deserved rest. He could just borrow Woojin or Minsoo’s notes later. Well, most likely just Woojin’s. He could never understand Minsoo’s scribbly, alien scripture excuse for handwriting. 

The teacher was introducing the student to the class and telling them where they could sit, but Jun wasn’t paying attention to any of it. He didn’t pay attention to the fact that the new student walked all the way to the back, and he didn’t pay attention to the fact that they sat down at the desk next to his.

He was too focused on, at the very least, drifting off to a better dreamworld. But his trip there was rudely interrupted by Woojin’s elbow suddenly jabbing and nudging him. He suppressed a whine--lest the teacher notice him--as he gave his friend an annoyed, questioning look. Woojin responded by silently gesturing over Jun’s shoulder, then going back to staring ahead at the teacher,

Jun, a little disoriented and confused, slowly looked to his right, and his heart leapt into his throat.

The new student was staring at him with sharp, deep brown eyes, flecks of amber and silver glittering in the sunlight shining through the window, tiny swirls of deep purple and blue and white shimmering and shifting with every blink. He seemed completely unbothered by being caught staring, and somehow this became an invitation for Jun to stare as well.

He didn’t know how long he ended up staring, everything about him just so entrancing; his dark hair that seemed to glitter as well, as if it had been crafted from the night sky strand by strand; his smooth, ivory skin that Jun felt the urge to touch just to see if it was as smooth as it appeared; his willowy figure that sat straight and proper in his seat, equally slender fingers folded neatly atop the desk.

It wasn’t until he saw the boy’s lips moving, that he realized he was unintentionally ignoring him in favor of looking like a starstruck idiot.

Blinking rapidly, he shook his head slightly to snap himself back to reality. "I-I'm sorry, what--what did you say?" He whispered, low enough to hopefully not be heard by the teacher, but still somewhat loud enough to be sure he could be heard by the boy.

The boy giggled, shoulders shaking, the cutest smile lighting up his face that already appeared like it was glowing. "I said... What is your name?" He whispered, in Mandarin.

"Oh… it's Junhui.” He wasn’t expecting that, but he switched to Mandarin himself, figuring he must be more comfortable with that than Korean.

The boy’s bright smile softened, his head tilting to the side. "Junhui..." He murmured so fondly as he gave a short nod. "That's a very lovely name. It suits you well."

"Ah... thank you," Jun's voice suddenly came even softer and so small. He rubbed his arm as he shyly smiled and ducked his head, his cheeks and ears heating up.

_Wait… Why am I getting so flustered?_

It was no secret that Jun blushed easily at compliments and praises, but normally he only got like that with his friends. So why did a simple compliment and smile from a stranger affecting him? "What... is your name?" He asked and glanced back to the boy, finding it only polite to return the question.

He frowned slightly as he seemed to consider this, as if it was somehow a difficult question that needed some thought. He pursed his lips and stared off over Jun’s shoulder for a long moment, humming in thought. "...Minghua," He finally said, slowly, and as if he was saying it for the first time.

Despite finding the way he said it a bit off-putting, Jun still found himself almost mirroring the fond smile Minghua had given only a minute ago. 

Neither of them got to ask anymore questions, as the teacher caught them and scolded them for talking in class. Both boys quickly focused their eyes ahead, and Jun inwardly whined over losing his chance at getting some sleep.

Though he didn’t mind it as much anymore when, in his peripheral vision, he kept catching Minghua stealing glances at him.

* * *

“Go talk to him!”

“Nu-uh.”

“_Yes_.”

“Uh-uh.”

“Moon Junhui, I swear to god…”

It was after class, and Woojin and Minsoo were speaking in hushed voices as they unsuccessfully tried to convince Jun to _just go talk to Minghua_. 

“Juuuun, come oooon,” Minsoo whined, once again sitting backwards in his chair, leaning forward and spreading his arms out on Jun’s desk. “You already talked to him a little! So just! Go talk more!”

Jun groaned and slumped down, hiding his face in his arms, wishing he could just shrink and hide away in his desk and never be found. He didn’t know _why_ he was being like this. He couldn’t understand why the idea of just _talking_ to Minghua was making his heart race and his stomach do somersaults.

“Myunghwa-yah!” 

Jun lifted his head a little to see a small group of girls approach Minghua, the one who called his name--he believed her name was Heejung--smiled sweetly with her pink tinted lips and planted her hands on his desk. “We wanted to be the first to welcome you to our school! And invite you to lunch with us so we can all get better acquainted!”

Jun’s heart sank. Of course the most popular girls in school would get to him first, and there was no doubt in his mind that Minghua would gladly accept and proceed to become too popular for Jun to have even a chance at becoming friends with him. 

He was ready to accept that his dumb nerves had lost him his chance, but his sigh of defeat quickly got caught in his throat and he nearly choked on his own spit at Minghua’s response.

“Actually, I wanted to eat lunch with Junhui.”

With a smile, he turned his head to face Jun, quirking a brow and tilting his head as a way of asking if they could eat together. All Jun could do was dumbly nod, his mouth agape in a little ‘o’ shape. 

Taking one annoyed glance at Jun, Heejung scoffed and spun around, her ponytail almost smacking a guy in the face as she ushered her friends out of the classroom.

Minghua slid out of his seat and had to take only a couple steps before he was standing over Jun’s desk. Jun knew he should say _something_, but his mouth suddenly felt too dry, his tongue suddenly too fat and filling his mouth, leaving him to just continue staring like a complete idiot. 

For once, Minsoo and Woojin weren’t much help in snapping him out of it, as they both couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful, ethereal boy in front of them.

The air felt too thick with every breath Jun took, his lungs constricting, his heart working overtime and hammering against his ribcage. He felt lightheaded and out of it, and all Minghua was doing was _smiling_ at him. 

Woojin was the first to snap out of it. He nudged Jun in an attempt to snap him back to reality as well, but the combination of the hard jab and the fact that Jun was already sitting on the side edge of his seat, had Jun sliding out of his chair with a yelp.

With quick reflexes, Minghua bent slightly and grabbed Jun’s arms--and he swore the touch felt like a spark of electricity but later he would brush it off as a simple shock of normal, static electricity--to stop him from hitting the floor, and gently pulled him to his feet.

“Are you okay?” Minghua asked in such a soft voice that had Jun’s heart threatening to leap out of his chest. 

“I… I’m okay,” Jun managed out with a short nod. Minghua was still holding onto his arms, though didn’t seem to have any real intention of letting go. Jun almost didn’t want him to, despite the gentle tingling sensation traveling up his arms, but when he noticed a few classmates staring, he quickly pulled his arms away and folded them behind his back, as if hiding his arms could somehow hide that that had even happened. “Um, thank… thank you.” 

Minsoo and Woojin were giggling behind their hands, but Jun chose to ignore them.

“So,_ is it_ alright if I eat lunch with you?” Minghua asked to be sure. As if he needed to ask though! Jun quickly nodded, before remembering once again that he needed to use his words.

“Yeah yeah, of course! Right guys?” Jun looked to his friends with eyes a little too wide, and of course they both agreed. There hadn’t been a thought in their minds to refuse, though they were sure that if they _had_ chosen to object, Jun wouldn’t have hesitated to abandon them and ignore them for the rest of the school year.

“Oh! You should come to the arcade with us after school, too!” Minsoo exclaimed, with a bright grin that pushed his cheeks up and turned his eyes into slants like crescent moons.

When Jun looked back to Minghua, he seemed confused for a moment, before a look of recognition spread across his face, and he smiled. 

“I’d love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> { fic title and chapter title taken from "Serendipity" by BTS' Jimin }


	2. I Feel Sparks

Before they knew it, school was over, and while other students either headed home or to study group meetings or private academy classes, the four of them headed out to the arcade, led by Minsoo at first who all but burst out the front doors.

And somewhere along the walk (it wasn’t too far from school), Woojin and Minsoo got into a particularly heated conversation about some drama they were both watching, leaving Jun and Minghua no choice but to talk amongst themselves.

“Sooo… where are you from?” Jun finally asked, in Mandarin, after a few minutes of trying to remember how his tongue worked. He couldn’t get himself to look directly at Minghua, eyes wandering everywhere else _but _the boy beside him. In the bright sunlight, he looked even more dazzling, almost blinding, and it was simply too much to ask of him to try and look him in the eye _and _hold a proper conversation.

If he had been looking though, he would have seen that same strange, thoughtful look Minghua had before giving his name. “...Anshan.”

“Ahhh.” Jun slowly nodded, his eyes focused on their shadows moving ahead of them. “I’m from Shenzhen. When, um, when did you move here? My dad moved us here about six months ago.”

“Yesterday.”

Jun’s head shot up, and his nerves were momentarily forgotten as he stared at Minghua, dumbstruck. “_Yesterday?! _Really? Your Korean pronunciation is really good though!” He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little envious. He was still struggling a lot with his own pronunciation. “How long have you been studying?”

Another too long pause. “...A while.”

Jun let out a breathy laugh at such a vague answer. Somehow, he was still looking at the boy without choking on his words. His subconscious told him not to question it. “How long is ‘a while’?”

Minghua pursed his lips in thought. He was doing a lot of thinking before giving such simple answers. If they had been speaking Korean, Jun would have thought of it as nothing more than him just trying to remember a word. But considering they were both speaking their native language, he was just left puzzled, though unable to ask in fear that whatever came out could offend Minghua.

“About… three… years?” He answered, seeming a little unsure of it himself.

“_Wooow, _no wonder you’re so good,” Jun said with a shy little laugh at his own words. “Woojin and Minsoo try to help me sometimes, but their teaching can get a little confusing when they try to explain a Korean word _in _Korean. Minsoo tries to describe the words with actions, but it just gets more confusing,” He added while laughing, and as he looked away, he missed the fond look on Minghua’s face.

“I could help you,” Minghua suddenly offered, and Jun’s eyes widened as they snapped back to him. “if you would like.”

“Really? You’d do that?” Jun asked in disbelief, and the cute look on his face made Minghua giggle as he nodded. Jun’s stomach started doing somersaults again.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

For a minute, all Jun could do was give breathy little laughs and wheezes as a response, his hands waving around as he struggled for the umpteenth time that day to form a proper sentence. “I-I mean, I wasn’t--I didn’t think you _wouldn’t_, it’s just--I just--”

“Hey! Slowpokes!”

His rambling and half formed sentences were cut short by Minsoo’s sudden shout, and both boys looked over to see Woojin and Minsoo way ahead of them, Minsoo waving his arms over his head and hopping on his toes. 

“At this pace, the arcade’s gonna close by the time we get there!” Minsoo shouted, a little louder than necessary.

Neither had noticed how drastically they had slowed their pace while talking, apparently too engrossed in each other’s company and words to pay attention to anything else around them. 

Jun’s face, all the way to his ears, quickly turned bright red, and his eyes averted back down to the ground. Before he could think too much and regret it, he reached out and grabbed Minghua’s wrist, and once again ignored the way the contact sent a tingling up his arm and raised goosebumps all over his skin.

“Come on..!” He pulled and broke out into a run, forcing Minghua to quickly follow. Minsoo and Woojin both laughed and ran ahead of them, and any tension or awkwardness melted away as all four boys laughed and ran toward the arcade.

* * *

The arcade was alive with various sounds and colors. Loud music blared over the speakers, half drowned out by the beeps and mechanical voices of startup screens repeating over and over, exciting characters encouraging you to put that allowance burning a hole in your pockets to good use. Teens and kids in disheveled uniforms ran around with reckless abandon, slamming their hands on colorful buttons or jumping in seats the moment a game was freed up, shouts and curses over victories or losses ringing in the air over the music. Flashing neon lights colored the walls and their faces a brilliant, blinding rainbow. 

All of Minghua’s senses were horribly overwhelmed with the assorted sounds and sights and smells of the packed space, but at the same time, he couldn’t help the way every fiber of his being buzzed with excitement for this new experience.

Immediately after they exchanged their dollars for coins, Minsoo ran to check if the DDR machine was free, and when he found that it was occupied by a girl with a baggie of change sitting between the panels, he ran back and dragged Woojin over to the racing games to waste some time until the girl tired herself out.

Once again the two of them were left alone, and Minghua had no doubt that Junhui’s friends were doing it on purpose.

Glancing to Junhui, his gaze immediately landed on the beautiful sight of the colorful lights reflecting and dancing in his eyes. He marveled at the blues and purples and hot pinks mingling with dark brown and making the white sclera shine almost like his eyes were full of unshed tears, creating a unique display that rivaled the beauty of the endless universe he fell from.

Minghua was completely unsure of what to say when Junhui turned his head to look at him, and Junhui seemed to be having the same dilemma as he stared at him with an anxious expression, his lower lip held between his teeth. 

Talking was so… _strange _to Minghua; having to consciously take his thoughts and form them into coherent language that others could understand. It wasn’t how celestial beings communicated. It wasn’t how his brothers spoke to him from the cosmos. The feeling of having to enunciate syllables and actively raise his voice louder than a mumble to be understood, was so drastically different from the sounds and feelings of the cosmic language he was so familiar with. It was such a difficult thing to get used to.

“Do you want to, uh… go play a game?” Junhui finally asked, slow and hesitant, just barely loud enough to be heard over the cacophony of voices and music. His hair was tied up during school, but now it was down and hanging slightly in his face.

Minghua had the urge to reach out and brush the wavy strands away, but he held it back, hand clenching behind his leg. From all that he observed about Earth, only couples and family did those kinds of intimate gestures. Junhui barely knew him. And in turn, even though he had been watching Junhui from the cosmos for so long, he barely knew him as well.

Nodding, he smiled, and didn’t miss the way Junhui’s one exposed ear turned pink. “Lead the way.”

After walking around in circles for several minutes, Junhui’s face lit up as he ran up to a game that was displaying a demo of muscular fighters. He spun back around with wide eyes and brows raised. “Do you like fighting games?” 

“I… have never actually played one before.” He didn’t see any sense in lying and saying he had and that he did like them. If it wasn’t a truth that revealed anything Junhui wasn’t meant to know, then there was no harm in saying it. 

Junhui’s excitement stayed the same, mixed with surprise. “Really? They’re really fun! Do you wanna try? I can show y--oh wait, there’s probably a tutorial mode.” He spun around and pressed some buttons. He spoke in such a rush, as if his brain and mouth couldn’t agree on what word to say first. 

Once Minghua had an understanding of the rules and controls, Junhui walked around to sit at the console on the other side. As soon as the first round started, Minghua tried his best to build up some sort of strategy, to take what he saw in the tutorial and create a pattern of attacks that could surely win. But it wasn’t long before a huge “K.O.” overtook the screen as his character was kicked to the ground, Junhui cheering for himself on the other side.

The next 3 rounds followed the same way, with Minghua trying different strategies, his lips pressed together, his face pinched in concentration as his fingers mashed the buttons, buzzing with adrenaline, taking a simple arcade game a little too seriously. 

Unfortunately, Junhui was relentless and kicked his butt every time, ultimately winning the whole thing.

But when he ran back around, bouncing in excitement, giggling and waving his arms in the air as he celebrated his victory, Minghua couldn’t find it in himself to even pretend to be upset over losing. 

Junhui slowly stopped as he stared at Minghua, his grin turning into a confused smile, his hands coming down to shyly fix his uniform shirt that was riding up. “Wha--What’s so funny?” He asked with a short breath of a laugh.

Minghua almost hadn’t even noticed he was grinning himself. He shook his head. _You’re really cute_, is what he wanted to say. But he decided on something more sensible, that wouldn’t make Junhui find him weird or too forward. “You’re just really good.”

“A-Ah, well I just--I just come here a lot with Woojin and Minsoo.” He shrugged and rubbed at his arm, that adorable smile never leaving his face. “You should see Woojin! He’s practically a pro gamer already.”

“Is that so? Perhaps he can teach me some tricks so I can beat you next time,” Minghua teased, and enjoyed how Junhui laughed and pushed his shoulder. 

Every touch from Junhui buzzed with the condensed energy of a million stars. He knew that much that the sensation was something cosmic, but _why _it happened, he couldn’t tell. He wasn’t even sure if Junhui felt it as well. If he did, he hadn’t shown it.

The two wandered around the arcade for a while, occasionally passing Minsoo and Woojin playing various games, lost in their own competitiveness. Minghua could tell that Junhui wanted to play harder games like fighting or shooting games, but one after another, he opted for the easier games so Minghua could have fun too. 

“Junhui.” He interrupted the boy as he was throwing a skee ball, startling him and making him drop the ball to the floor with a loud thud, just barely missing his toes. He glanced to Minghua with confused eyes as he crouched down to pick the ball up.

“What?” He asked a little hesitantly. Minghua had been completely quiet for the past few minutes, so he could understand the confusion at why he decided now to speak up and mess him up. 

He also felt like Junhui’s narrowed eyes and brows held a bit of a disapproving glare, seeing as Minghua was sitting _on _the skee ball lane beside theirs. No one would be using the lane anytime soon with the words “Out of Order” taped over the coin slot, so where was the harm in sitting there?

“You know you don’t have to pick the easy games just for me, right?” Minghua questioned with a smile and quirked brow. He resisted the urge to let his smile grow wider as Junhui’s lips pursed and his eyes darted away, his fingers clutching the skee ball.

“I-I’m not doing anything like that. I like the easy games,” He said with a little pout. He looked down at the ball in his hands as if he had almost forgotten it was there, and tossed it up the lane, scoring a measly 10 points.

“That may be true, but it does not change the fact that you are mainly doing this for my sake.”

Junhui’s little pout remained as his eyebrows knitted together. He opened his mouth, then quickly closed it. Minghua could see how he was internally struggling with _something_, though the words that came out next weren’t what he was expecting. “...Why do you talk like that?”

“Talk like what?”

“Like--Like you’re trying to be way older than you are.” The way he said it with a laugh showed he was obviously teasing and couldn’t possibly actually suspect anything, but it still made his chest tense up. “I mean, you’re not doing it _constantly, _but it’s still kinda weird. Did you learn Korean through watching historical dramas or something?”

He frowned and sat up a little straighter. In a _way, _he _had_. He used to love watching the people of Earth from centuries ago, from all over the world, admiring the way they dressed and the regal ways they spoke. He couldn’t help it if sometimes his speech became a little more proper because of that admiration.

But he couldn’t very well say any of that. “You’re avoiding the subject.”

Now it was Junhui’s turn to tense up. “No, I’m not,” He said defensively. “I-I said I just like the easy games. That’s all.”

“Junhui,” He paused for a moment when Junhui stilled in grabbing another ball. “I am having fun even if I’m losing at every game. So you can pick whatever you’d like to play. I really don’t care as long as I’m playing it with you. Besides, I… prefer to watch you rather than play myself, anyway.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Minghua regretted them. He worried his words were a little too forward, especially as Junhui’s eyes widened and his face turned a dark shade of pink, his hands almost losing their grip on the ball. He still wasn’t looking directly at Minghua, staring ahead at the target rings and his score displayed above in bold red numbers. 

Minghua desperately felt like he needed to say something else, something to dismiss what he had just said. He wished to somehow pluck the words out of Junhui’s ears and hide them somewhere no one would ever hear them.

Why did having a human body have to come with human emotions?

Before either of them could find their words though, the silence was broken by Junhui’s name being shouted repeatedly, getting increasingly louder.

“JUN!!” Minsoo nearly barreled into Junhui, startling him out of his stupor as his arm was yanked, causing him to almost lose his balance. Junhui was clearly about to scold him, but Minsoo’s next words stopped him. “The DDR machine is free!”

A huge, excited grin broke out onto Junhui’s face, even brighter than when he had beaten Minghua in their first game. It was like everything that had just happened was instantly forgotten, as Junhui quickly turned back around to throw the skee ball up the lane just to get rid of it, and then ran off with Minsoo, both of them pushing each other and almost tripping over themselves to get there faster.

And Minghua couldn’t help but laugh as he watched, all the tension in his chest dissipating. He stood and grabbed the last skee ball that Junhui had forgotten, tossing it up the lane with no real effort and scoring 50 points.

Minsoo and Junhui were in the midst of arguing over the song choice when Minghua found them. Woojin had quite an amused look on his face as he watched from the side, occasionally yelling with no bite for them to just make a decision already.

After another minute of slapping each other’s hands away as they flipped back and forth between songs, Minsoo’s choice won, said boy looking excited and confident as the name “SHINee” was displayed on the screen.

At first, Junhui seemed to struggle to keep in sync with the machine, his feet stumbling and hitting the arrows a second too late. But it wasn’t long before he got into the rhythm and flow of it, and was laughing and grinning ear to ear, his whole body moving with every step as if creating his own choreographed dance. Minsoo was the same, though his arm and hand movements seemed more precise, as if they were moves he had practiced dozens of times.

“Minsoo knows the dance to every Shinee song by heart,” Woojin said with a chuckle, leaning closer to Minghua. He then let out a loud laugh as Minsoo began singing along with the chorus. Well, more so _yelling_ the lyrics than actually singing them. “_And_ knows all the lyrics by heart,” Woojin added. 

Minghua could _feel _the excitement radiating off both boys as they laughed and hurriedly slammed their feet on the colorful arrows. Every step released a loud thud and a burst of energy, Minghua’s cosmic eyes visualizing it as bright lights swirling around them, like tiny fairies effortlessly lifting them off the ground, as they jumped and slammed both feet on the right and left arrows.

He couldn’t help but share their excitement, even if he was only watching. His skin buzzed with the energy of the stardust inside of him, his face tingling as a grin overtook his face and a laugh bubbled in his throat and chest.

The dance didn’t call for a spin, but Junhui threw in one anyway for dramatics. Hs eyes met Minghua’s for the briefest of seconds, but it was apparently long enough for Junhui to see something very distracting in the way Minghua grinned at him, causing him to lose his footing on the landing and nearly fall over.

Minsoo and Woojin both burst out into laughter, which quickly turned into whoops of victory on Minsoo’s part as the song ended and declared him the winner. 

Woojin and Minsoo chattered and playfully bickered as Minsoo gloated about his win, but Junhui and Minghua didn’t hear any of it. They were too busy staring at each other, Junhui giving Minghua such a bewildered gaze. 

“Is something the matter?” Minghua asked as he stepped forward, leaning close so he could be heard over all the loud noises. Junhui froze and stumbled back a bit, staring at Minghua for a minute longer before he found his words.

“... No, I just…” He hesitated, his eyes darting away, then darting back as he quickly shook his head. “I-It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He flashed a smile so convincing that Minghua felt bad for doubting it, and moved away to demand a rematch before Minghua could ask anything more.

He couldn’t understand that look in Junhui’s eyes. All he had done was smile at him, and he had been doing that all day, so what was different this time?

Minghua’s confusion hung in the air for the next two hours. He kept catching Junhui in his peripheral vision, staring holes into the side of his head, quickly looking away and acting as if he hadn’t done anything whenever Minghua turned his head.

It wasn’t until the four of them were leaving the arcade, after Junhui and Minsoo had begun to whine about desperately needing food, that he got his answer.

As the three friends walked ahead of him, Minghua saw something in the reflective side of one of the machines, something that made him stop so abruptly.

He stepped closer to the machine and pressed gentle fingers against his soft cheek. It wasn’t anything noticeable to the human eye, but it was something he had noticed himself the night before. 

A very slight warmth and glow was emanating from his skin, an after effect of a much brighter, very noticeable, glow from his natural light breaking through the barrier of human flesh.

He watched his own eyes widen and his whole body freeze in his reflection as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

Junhui had stumbled and stared with such mystified confusion, because he had seen Minghua’s skin literally _glow _like a star.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> { chapter title taken from "Eclipse" by Loona's Kim Lip }


	3. What Planet Are You From?

What was that?

What had he just _seen?_

Surely it had been a trick of the lights, right? All of the neon lights and too bright display screens bouncing off the reflective surfaces of the machines and shining on Minghua in such a way that only gave the _illusion _of his skin glowing.

He definitely hadn’t just seen Minghua’s skin _actually _glow. Like he was some sort of human Lite-Brite or something.

That’s what Jun kept trying to tell himself the rest of the day.

As the four of them stopped and ate, Jun tried his best to be his usual talkative self, to push that repeating question out of his mind and just have a nice meal with his friends. But every time he even just glanced at Minghua, he couldn’t help but find his gaze lingering, as if staring long enough would make him see what he thought he saw again.

But of course, nothing else unusual happened for the rest of the day. Minghua just smiled and acted as if nothing had happened, and it made Jun seriously wonder if he really had just been seeing things.

For the most part during the rest of the school week, Jun managed to keep it out of the forefront of his thoughts. He wanted to be friends with Minghua, and he knew that he couldn’t do that if he acted awkwardly around him and kept dwelling on something that may or may have happened.

He tried to put away the thoughts on how oddly Minghua talked. He did his best to ignore the weird buzzing, tingling sensation he felt every time Minghua touched his skin, something which no one else seemed to experience. He tried his hardest to pretend he didn’t see how Minghua’s eyes sometimes shifted from a normal brown, to a display of swirled colors and glittering flecks of gold and silver, as if entire galaxies lived within them. It would only ever happen for a couple seconds, so Jun always chalked it up as his eyes playing tricks on him.

He tried to assure himself that there was nothing strange about the fact that Minghua didn’t know how uniforms worked (“Yes, you have to wear it every day.” “But that boy is not wearing one.” “No, he’s just wearing a hoodie over it in the middle of August for some reason. That’s allowed.”). Or that there was nothing strange about how he didn’t know how to get his food in the cafeteria, telling himself that maybe it had worked differently in his old school, or he had simply only ever brought his own lunch.

Jun tried to put aside every questioning thought about Minghua, trying to assure himself that he was looking too much into every little thing.

But even so, bottled up thoughts can only stay down for so long, until the top bursts and everything comes spilling out into the forefront of your mind all at once.

The trio was hanging out in Woojin's bedroom that Thursday afternoon after school, Minsoo and Woojin sat on the floor, immersed in a game Jun couldn't remember the name of. Jun lay sprawled out on the nicely made bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling. The only sounds filling the small room were the whirring of the fan in the corner, and the quiet grunts and repeated dialogue of the game characters. Mr. and Mrs. Jeon didn't like it when the volume was up too loud, especially when they played violent games.

Despite the overall quiet atmosphere, all Jun could hear was overwhelming _noise_, a million overlapping voices filling his head with questions he couldn't answer. 

It was a few minutes of attempting to organize these million thoughts, before he finally picked one out and voiced it.

"Hey, have you guys noticed anything... _odd_ about Myunghwa?"

Minsoo only gave a halfhearted shrug in reply and a simple "I dunno,” much too focused on the game to reply properly. Meanwhile Woojin's fingers on the controls paused, and his brows knit together as he actually took a moment to give it some thought.

"Hmm... Not really? Why? Is there something _you_ find odd about him?" Woojin glanced over to Jun with a quirked brow, though quickly looked back to the TV when Jun didn't look back at him, his thumbs resuming their rapid button mashing. 

Jun hesitated, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position, leaning back on his hands. He stared at the TV screen as he chewed on his lower lip, slightly pulling at the chapped skin with his teeth.

“... I dunno,” He finally said with a shrug. “It’s just the way he acts and--and the way he talks.” He stopped himself from saying ‘how he looks’, worried his friends wouldn’t understand what he meant and would only see it as a shallow statement. “It’s just… _weird_.” 

“Care to elaborate?” Woojin asked and turned his head back to Jun, an amused yet confused smile on his face.

“Come on, you _really_ haven’t noticed how strange he acts?” Jun asked incredulously, turning and scooting to the edge of the bed and crossing his legs. “He didn’t know you’re supposed to wear your uniform every day!”

“Maybe his old school didn’t have uniforms.”

“And yesterday! When he interrupted the teacher? He asked me afterward why the teacher scolded him. He said he was just correcting her and couldn’t understand why it was a problem until I explained it.”

“Maybe it was okay to do that in his old school.”

“Woojin, I don’t think there’s any school in the entire _world _where it’s okay to just interrupt your teachers.”

“Yes!” Minsoo exclaimed, dropping his controller into his lap and throwing his arms up. A big red ‘K.O.’ flashed on the screen before being replaced by gold letters proclaiming Player 2 the winner. Woojin and Jun both snapped their attention to the TV, and Woojin cursed and threw his head back with a groan.

“Minsoo, what do you think?” Jun asked, interrupting his little celebratory wiggle dance.

“About what?” 

Jun let out a halfhearted groan that melted into a giggle. “About Myunghwa. Don’t you think he acts a little weird?”

Minsoo didn’t think about it for very long before shrugging. “He’s probably just having trouble adjusting to living in a foreign country. You were kinda weird when you first got here.”

“Yeah, but…” Jun frowned, lower lip sticking out a bit in a half pout. “But that was because I wasn’t used to Korean culture. The way he acts isn’t just… normal behavior in China. I wouldn’t be asking you guys any of this if it was.”

“Well… where’d he say he’s from? Anshan?”

“Mmhm.”

“Have you ever _been _to Anshan?”

“No, but—”

“Then how do you know this isn’t normal in Anshan?”

“They’re both still in China, Min. The cultures aren’t _that_ different.”

“But how do you _know_?” Minsoo pressed, raising both eyebrows and leaning his torso sideways, closer to the bed. “You don’t know for sure. Maybe his old school really is somewhere where it’s okay to interrupt and correct your teachers, and where you don’t gotta wear a uniform every day.”

“But…” He was trying to believe that these were real possibilities, he really was. For all he knew, Minghua really could have just grown up in a neighborhood where all of his little quirks were completely common. But he still couldn’t shake this strange feeling. 

It wasn’t a bad feeling though. Far from it.

“What if we invited him to hang out with us?” Woojin suggested. He was sitting by the game system, sorting through his games, obviously looking for one he knew he could beat Minsoo at. “We’ve only hung out with him after school once this week, and he looks like he hasn’t made any other friends. You always say that having us as friends made it easier for you to get used to Korea. So maybe it could be helpful to him, too.”

“Oh!” Minsoo clapped, sitting up straight. “How about we have a sleepover? Tomorrow’s Friday! And we can have it at my house! I just got Black Panther and Infinity War on DVD! We can have a Marvel movie marathon!”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Woojin said with a nod.

“Yeah! It’ll be great!” Minsoo exclaimed and turned back to Jun with a grin. “Huh? How ‘bout it?”

Even with his hesitation and mixed feelings about Minghua’s odd behavior, there was something in his gut that _immediately _wanted to push him to agree, something that jumped at the opportunity to be around Minghua somewhere other than school.

So, with a sigh, Jun turned and flopped back down on the bed. “_Yeah_, alright.”

Minsoo cheered and then turned his attention to Woojin, crawling over to him and urging him to just pick a game. And Jun was thankful for his friend’s quick shift in focus.

His eyes focused on the ceiling as his hands grasped at his t-shirt, his heart suddenly hammering against his rib cage, stomach twisting in a knot, goosebumps rising up his arms as his skin quickly shifted between an irritating buzzing and a burning sensation.

What was wrong with him?

Why did the mere thought of Minghua fill him with a strange feeling he couldn’t explain? He couldn’t even tell if it was a good feeling or not.

He stayed like that for several minutes while his friends played their game, only eventually snapping out of it when Woojin asked him to play a round, while Minsoo pouted at losing five times in a row.

* * *

Minsoo planned on asking Minghua about the sleepover before their first class, and the wait for Minghua to get to school was agonizing. Jun’s legs shook and his fingers rapidly tapped against his desk, which quickly caught Woojin’s attention.

Looking up from his phone, Woojin gently placed his hand over Jun’s, and Jun froze and snapped his attention to his friend. “You alright?” Woojin asked softly.

“Yeah, totally fine,” Jun said, his words coming out a little too quickly and almost meshing together.

Woojin frowned, quirking a brow and retracting his hand, letting Jun slide his hands off the desk and hide them in his lap. “Really? You don’t look fine. You’re literally shaking the desk.”

A nervous laugh escaped his lips, his hand reaching up to lightly scratch the side of his neck and push loose hairs out of his face. “Really, I’m fine. I-I’m just—just nervous about that—that test we have soon.”

Woojin’s brows furrowed and eyes narrowed, his head tilting slightly. “What test? I don’t remember—”

“Myunghwa-yah!” Minsoo shouted, standing up from his seat and waving his arms to get Minghua’s attention as he entered the classroom. “Myunghwa-yah!”

“Minsoo, the room’s not that big, you don’t have to shout,” Woojin stated, laughing a little, but Minsoo ignored him.

“Myunghwa-yah! Over here!”

Jun’s heart rate instantly picked up as Minghua walked over, a gentle smile on his lips as he glanced at each of them, and he swore Minghua’s gaze lingered on him for a couple seconds longer.

“Myunghwa-yah!” Minsoo said, still a little too loud, even though Minghua was right next to him. Luckily though, Minghua seemed unbothered. “We’re having a sleepover at my place tonight and we wanted to invite you! We’ll have lots of snacks and Marvel movies and it’ll be awesome! I’ll even let you pick the first movie of the night!”

Minghua quirked a brow, his smile turning amused. “That sounds fun, I’d love to come. Though… I haven’t seen any Marvel movies, so I don’t think it would be best for me to choose the first movie when I’ll have no idea what I’m choosing.”

“You haven’t seen _any_?!” Minsoo’s eyes widened, mouth comically dropping open. “Not even the first Avengers movie? Or Captain America?”

Minghua simply shook his head, moving to sit at his desk across from Jun and Woojin’s. “I haven’t seen either of those. I don’t watch movies much.”

“Oh man, we--we gotta watch all of them tonight, then!” 

“We can’t watch _every _Marvel movie in one night,” Woojin said with a groan, already exhausted at just the thought of it. “There are way too many. Plus, you can’t even get through a Harry Potter marathon without falling asleep halfway through the third movie.”

Minsoo turned and flashed a glare at Woojin, then turned back to Minghua. “Well--we gotta at least watch all the Avengers movies! There’s only three!”

“I guess that’s more doable,” Woojin said. “If we start early enough.”

“Nice!” Minsoo grinned and finally plopped down in his chair, fishing his phone out of his pocket. “Myunghwa, gimme your number, I’ll text you my address.”

“I don’t have a phone number,” He said, in the same casual tone one might say, ‘I don’t have any plans.”

All three friends simultaneously looked at him in in varying degrees of disbelief, Minsoo’s being the most dramatic as he set his phone down and slammed his hands down on the desk. “You don’t have a _phone_?! Seriously? _How_?”

“Are your parents super strict or something?” Woojin asked.

“I’ve just never had the need for a cell phone.” 

“How?” Jun questioned, brows furrowing and face scrunching up in utter confusion. “You need a phone for practically everything. Even school.”

Minghua just shrugged, somehow not seeing the oddity of the situation. “I just… have never needed one. My life in Anshan never required the use of a cell phone.”

After going back and forth like that for a few minutes, Minsoo just ended up tearing out a piece of paper from his notebook and using that to write his address down, and the four of them moved on from the subject. 

Though secretly, the strangeness of it all lingered in Jun’s mind. Minghua was getting stranger and stranger in Jun’s eyes.

* * *

What did humans do at sleepovers?

This, among many others, was a question that plagued Minghua’s mind all throughout the school day. He didn’t really _need _to focus on any of the lessons, so his thoughts were focused solely on attempting to figure out what he needed to know before the end of the day.

What was the proper etiquette for sleepovers? Should he show up right after school or wait a few hours? Did he need to bring refreshments or games? Or would they be provided? Would it be seen as rude if he brought nothing at all? He knew of the vague concept of how sleepovers _looked_ from afar, but he had no clue how Minsoo planned to organize his. Would they be sleeping in the living room or his bedroom? Would they actually be sleeping at some point or would the others plan to stay up all night? If it was the latter, would it actually be necessary to bring sleepwear or would that look ridiculous? Would they be doing anything other than simply watching movies? How was he meant to ask without making it obvious that he knew nothing of how a sleepover worked?

Despite the fact that at birth, Minghua had been given the knowledge of the universe and its inhabitants, it was meant to be up to him to expand that knowledge as time went on and people evolved. But, unfortunately, he was coming to the realization that he had spent far too much time merely observing humans, and far too little time actually paying attention to the newer social activities that had developed.

Ultimately, he decided against asking any questions, reflecting on how his unusual questions tended to get him weird looks from Junhui. He opted for staying quiet and hoping Minsoo would choose on his own to give him the information he needed. He was relieved when, on his way out of the classroom, Minsoo told him to be there around six, because his mother wanted to eat dinner at seven.

So, Minghua parted ways with his friends outside of the school, waving them off and pretending to head to his own home. In reality though, he simply walked around the city until six o’clock, seeing as he didn’t actually have a home on Earth. His artificial body didn’t require rest or food or really anything humans needed to survive, so he had no need for a home on Earth.

_Haven’t you confessed to that boy yet? _

As the sun was setting and the stars appeared one by one in the sky, Minghua’s connection to his celestial brothers grew stronger once more, and thus the two that were aiding him in his journey were once again able to project their voices into his mind.

_Humans need time to develop feelings for one another, _Minghua informed his brother, strolling into a park that was surrounded by the Han River to take a seat on the grass, closing his eyes and focusing his energy on the sky to better project his own voice. _Junhui has only known me for five days. If I confessed my feelings to him now, he would surely reject them._

_How long will this take then? You can’t possibly stay down there for much longer. You’ll surely get bored of waiting for that boy to return your affections. _

_I will wait as long as it takes. I will not get bored. Even if he doesn’t return my feelings right now, I still enjoy Junhui’s company. Along with the company of his friends._

_You’re ridiculous, _his other brother chimed in, his tone fiery and annoyed. _What if he never returns your feelings? What then? Then your silly journey will have been pointless._

_No matter the outcome, I will be happy to have known him. _Minghua smiled. Opening his eyes, he looked down to find his skin glowing with his joy. Luckily, there was no one around him to see. _I am happy to simply be called his friend._

_I will never understand you._

_That is because you refuse to open your eyes to the wonders of Earth, Zhī Xūn. You still refuse to visit Earth. If you visited just once, I know you would love it and its people._

_I have visited Earth many times. It’s not that great._

_That is because all you do is wreak havoc, Jinghan. You only entertain yourself by tricking people and never take the time to explore and find the simple wonders of this planet._

_What wonder am I supposed to find on Earth? The noisy creatures they call pets? The overabundance of lights that block out the stars? The simple-mindedness of humans that verges on stupidity?_

Minghua outwardly sighed, leaning back on his hands and tipping his head back toward the purple sky. _Well you’ll certainly never find anything enjoyable about Earth with that mindset._

_ Don’t you have somewhere to be? _Jinghan quickly changed veered the subject away from himself, tired of arguing his point. 

_What time is it? _

_ Five forty-seven pm, _Zhī Xūn answered.

_Then yes, I do have somewhere I need to be. _Minghua rose from the grass, glancing around to be sure no one was around, before holding out his hand palm down. Sparkling stardust separated from his being and floated down to form a vague shape, quickly multiplying and solidifying to create a black backpack with the necessary supplies he would need for the sleepover.

_Now_, Minghua bent down and pulled the backpack on. _If you would be so kind, lead the way to Minsoo’s house._

* * *

“Myunghwa!” Minsoo enthusiastically greeted Minghua at the door, jumping up and down before throwing himself on him. “Welcome! Come in come in!” He quickly broke the embrace and ushered him inside, shutting the door behind him and then leading the way into the living room.

As soon as Minsoo announced Minghua’s arrival though, Junhui tore his eyes away from his game without bothering to pause it, half turning his body around to meet Minghua’s gaze. At first he stared at Minghua with an unreadable expression, almost as if he wasn’t sure why he had turned so quickly, or almost as if he had momentarily forgotten that Minghua was coming in the first place. But once Minghua gave him a warm, gentle smile, his face turned pink and he quickly looked away, though Minghua could see the corner of his mouth turned up in a little smile.

After dinner and a warning from Minsoo’s parents not to stay up too late, the four boys settled in with snacks and the lights turned off, that, according to Minsoo, would make it feel more like a movie theater, for their Avengers movie marathon. 

Minsoo and Woojin claimed the couch with piles of pillows surrounding them, so Minghua took a seat beside Junhui on the floor, setting up his own sleeping bag right next to his. 

In the darkness, Minghua’s eyes could see perfectly clear, could see all the lines and features of Junhui’s face as he turned his head just slightly and let himself freely stare at the boy he was so infatuated with. Junhui was completely focused on the movie, and honestly, Minghua could care less about the film. He much preferred taking advantage of possibly the only opportunity to admire Junhui without said boy calling him weird for staring.

What was the problem with staring anyway? How could he possibly keep himself from staring when there was someone so beautiful right beside him? 

At some point, while the sounds of yelling and fighting boomed out of the speakers and filled the otherwise silent room, Minghua took a shot of bravery and moved his hand over Junhui’s resting on the floor. He knew he needed to wait. He knew that Junhui had only known him for five days and just barely considered him a friend. He knew that he had just argued with his brothers over the fact that it took time for humans to develop romantic feelings, that he needed to be patient and let Junhui get to know him first.

But in the moment, as he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Junhui, he decided to take a leap of faith and extend a small show of affection.

Unfortunately, as soon as their hands touched, Junhui gasped under his breath and pulled his hand up toward his chest, whipping his head to the side to glance at Minghua with wide eyes, before quickly looking away and stumbling to his feet, excusing himself and calling back for his friends to keep the movie playing. He rushed out of the room and up the stairs before Minghua could get one word out.

_Perhaps I moved too fast… _Minghua thought to himself, staring at Junhui’s empty seat for a moment before turning his eyes to the film he hadn’t paid one bit of attention to.

He was sure Junhui enjoyed his company. That much he could tell from the way he smiled at him, the way he giggled at Minghua’s horrible attempts at jokes, the way he had happily dragged him around the arcade, choosing only the easy games solely for his sake.

He had seen Junhui hold his friends’ hands many times, both in person and from afar, gripping them tightly to pull them along when they weren’t walking fast enough, intertwining fingers in comfort. He had seen Junhui throw himself onto them and cling to them like a baby koala, showing his affection through physical touch more often than words. So why had a simple touch been too much this time?

Perhaps… was he freaked out about what he might have seen that day in the arcade?

Minghua knew his skin had glowed. Neither Minsoo or Woojin had seen, due to their focus having been solely on the dance game. The end of the first round must have been when the bright glow had settled down to something much dimmer and unnoticeable to the human eye, most likely due to his emotions quickly turning from joy to shock as Junhui stumbled and nearly fell.

When Junhui said nothing about the incident, Minghua let himself assume that he hadn’t actually seen anything, and he had actually stumbled from just landing wrong on his spin.

But now, Minghua was beginning to question if his initial assumption had been correct, and it was the reason for Junhui’s odd behavior the past few days. Was Junhui afraid of him? Did he think that Minghua was some horrifying creature in disguise? Was that why he so quickly pulled his hand away and ran off? To escape something he feared might be dangerous?

Several minutes passed, much longer than a normal bathroom break. Taking a glance at Minsoo and Woojin, both boys seemed unable to tear their eyes away from the screen, too absorbed in the action and suspense. So, Minghua took the chance and quietly excused himself, heading upstairs with the intent to find if Junhui was alright.

The second floor of the house was eerily quiet. Minsoo’s parents had already gone to bed halfway through the movie, and the volume on the TV had been turned down low enough for all sounds to remain on the first floor. Only the soft thuds of his bare feet and the light rustling of his soft pajama pants echoed through the hallway. 

Immediately upon ascending to the top step, his eyes locked on to the sliver of light peeking out from under a closed door near the end of the hallway. Moving cautiously so as not to alert the sleeping Mr. and Mrs. Kim, he found the closed door to be adorned with stickers and a crudely drawn Totoro near the bottom. He guessed Minsoo must have drawn it as a child. 

For a moment, he was hesitant, and considered just going back downstairs and letting Junhui have his privacy. But his fingers twitched and his feet moved forward of their own accord, his brave celestial mind battling with his fragile human heart. 

_Talk to Junhui and find out what’s wrong,_ his mind said._ Leave him be, don’t push, don’t make him hate you when he’s already scared of you,_ his heart said.

Before either force within him could win or lose though, the door suddenly creaked open and Junhui froze in place, eyes widening and muscles tensing, and Minghua mirrored his shock.

“Wh-What are you doing?” Junhui stammered out. “Why—Why aren’t you watching the movie?”

“I… wanted to check if you were alright,” Minghua answered simply, quickly composing himself.

“I-I’m—I’m _fine_.” He gave a short nod, pressing his lips together and averting his eyes. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine.”

“Well, I am. So let’s just… go back down and finish the movie.” Keeping his eyes on a random stain on the hardwood floor, he let go of the doorknob and stepped forward out of the doorway, lifting his other hand to flick the light switch. But at Minghua’s next words, he once again froze, sucking in a sharp breath through his nose as he seemed to try and keep himself composed this time.

“Why did you run away?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> { chapter title from "What planet are you from?" by Momoland }


	4. I wanna be with you forever in this moment

“Why did you run away?”

Jun had no clue how to answer that. 

What could he say that didn’t make him sound like a complete weirdo? It had only been a mere brush of skin, barely anything. It could’ve even been an accident! There was no logical reason he should’ve freaked out and ran off. 

He couldn’t very well tell Minghua that the light touch set his skin alight with goosebumps and sent his heart leaping into his throat. He couldn’t even admit that to _himself_.

So he was left to just stare at Minghua in silence. His heart thudded against his ribcage so hard it felt as if might burst out of his chest and profess all of the feelings he was too scared to confront itself.

Minghua's gaze was...

_Intense_, was the best descriptor he could come up with while his brain was running a million miles a second. But it wasn't the kind of intimidating, intense stare that made you want to duck your head and shrink to the size of a speck of dust just to escape it. Rather, Jun found it quite difficult to _look away_. The hairs on his neck stood up on end as his skin speckled with goosebumps, shivers running up his spine, his fingers tingling so much he had to tightly clasp them together to keep his hands from twitching.

The silence stretched on for far too long, though Minghua made no attempt to hurry Jun to answer the question. His expression was calm. Patient. But his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, holding the worry he no doubt felt in anticipation of Jun’s answer.

Jun was slowly getting better at reading Minghua’s strange expressions. He often seemed to struggle to convey his emotions with looks alone, as if he wasn’t used to doing it. Jun spent far too much time secretly staring at Minghua in class or during lunch, that he managed to somehow pick up on the subtle things that gave away his hidden worries and doubts.

And at that moment, Jun was sure that, even though he wasn’t pressing the question, Minghua badly wanted Jun to say _something_ already. _Say something,_ his mind pressed. 

_You can’t just leave him waiting._

_Say_ _**anything**_.

So, he said the first thing he could think of.

"I-I didn't run away," Jun muttered, trying to keep his voice steady. "I was going to the bathroom."

Minghua's brow quirked as he glanced over Jun's shoulder. "Does Minsoo have a private bathroom in his room?"

He should've just let the silence stretch on and swallow him whole.

"I, um..." Jun turned his head to look behind him, as if the empty room itself could help him out. Maybe if he wished hard enough, the hamster drawing could come to life and give him a way out of this. Unfortunately, it seemed content on staying a lifeless, unhelpful doodle. "I was just... looking for something. But I... didn't find it, so--"

"Junhui, do... you not like being around me?"

His head spun back around so fast he actually made himself dizzy for a moment, but he didn’t care. His eyes widened to the size of saucers, dread and guilt immediately washing over him, twisting his stomach into a tight knot.

"Wh-What? No! Of course n—why—why would you think that?"

Minghua’s expression remained fairly calm, almost quizzical, as if he was asking such a simple question. Though as Jun actually focused on the little details of his expression, he could see the slight downturn of his lips, the slight furrow of his brows, the hint of sadness within the swirling galaxies in his eyes. 

Jun really wished he was still unable to read Minghua. 

“You keep avoiding me after class,” Minghua said slowly. “Every time I try to talk to you during lunch, you start talking to Minsoo or Woojin instead. Ever since Monday at the arcade, you’ve been acting weird around me, but you’re always back to your normal self with Minsoo and Woojin.” Minghua stepped a couple inches forward, and the knot in Jun’s stomach twisted even tighter. “Did… I do something to upset you?”

Jun felt like he couldn’t breathe as he stared into Minghua’s saddened eyes. Threads wrapped around his lungs and pulled taut, his chest tight and heavy with the guilt weighing down on him. He did his best to swallow down the lump forming in his throat so he could actually give an answer. “N… No, I—” He cleared his throat as his voice cracked. “You didn’t—You didn’t do anything, I… I promise.”

“Then… why do you keep avoiding me?” Minghua’s eyebrows furrowed further, to a degree that was actually noticeable without needing to scrutinize his features.

What could he say? That he was kind of afraid of the way his skin buzzed and his head turned to a fuzzy mess at the mere thought of Minghua? That he was afraid yet drawn to the strange sensations whenever they touched? That he was confused and wary of what he saw at the arcade? What the _hell _was he supposed to say that didn’t make him sound completely crazy?

“I—”

“There you are!” 

Jun nearly jumped out of his skin and whipped his head around to see Minsoo standing only a few feet away. He hadn’t even heard his footsteps or the usually loud creak that one step at the top always made.

Minsoo looked at them with a puzzled expression, his eyes going back and forth between their close proximity, and the soft light still pouring out of his bedroom. “What are you guys doing?”

Jun glanced at Minghua, though that glance quickly turned into staring as he found himself, as usual, unable to tear his eyes away. “N-Nothing, I was just—looking for something a—and Minghua was helping me.”

“Well, you’ve already missed half the movie!” Minsoo exclaimed, planting his hands on his hips, though his words carried no real frustration.

“Sorry… my bad,” Jun said, voice coming out much quieter than intended. His eyes remained on Minghua’s for a moment longer until Minsoo snapped him out of it again, before making his way back downstairs first.

Neither of them made any move to follow. Jun felt like he had to say _something _to quickly fix this, to diffuse the situation, _something _to make Minghua’s frown go away. No matter what was going on in his own head, the thought of Minghua believing _he _did something wrong made the threads around his lungs wrap around his heart as well.

“I…” He cleared his throat, trying to will those threads to loosen and let him breathe. “I-I don’t mean to avoid you, I’m sorry. I’m just… just…” He trailed off, unsure of where he intended to go with that. Nothing that came to mind made any sense. The words were like fragile shards of diamonds, glittering with promise of eloquence and comfort. But every time he attempted to grasp at them and piece them together, they immediately crumbled into a billion tiny fragments and slipped through his fingers like sand.

“Just…?” Minghua said, after Jun paused for far too long.

“...Just…” He sighed as he stared down at his feet. “Trust me… when I say I don’t mean it. I… I can’t really give more than that right now. I’m sorry.” He then rushed downstairs before Minghua could say anything more, to protest that he needed more.

He _wished_ he could give more of a response. He desperately wished he could. But he had no clue what he could say that didn’t feel ridiculous to say aloud. So, he just hoped that the simple response he did give, was enough for Minghua to know he didn’t hate him. 

He was just hopelessly confused, about so many things. 

When the two of them got downstairs, Minsoo insisted on rewinding back to the beginning of the movie, much to Woojin’s annoyance. When Minghua sat back down beside Jun, he kept his hands to himself, and honestly, Jun felt a little disappointed. He didn’t feel brave enough to reach his own hand out, though.

* * *

Despite the fact that the movie marathon had been Minsoo’s idea in the first place, and he had _assured _them he could stay up through all the movies, in the end it was him that passed out first halfway through the second Avengers.

Woojin soon followed the moment the credits rolled, conking out on the sofa beside Minsoo, both in rather uncomfortable positions that would surely have them waking up with horrible neck cramps. Jun carefully draped their blankets over them when he got up to take the movie out of the DVD player. When he turned around, he gasped and nearly jumped right out of his skin when he saw a pair of eyes watching him from the floor. 

“Geez…” He breathed, his shoulders slumping with a sigh. He slowly dropped to his knees and crawled into his sleeping bag stretched out beside Minghua’s. “I thought you fell asleep. You were so quiet.”

“I… can’t sleep at other people’s houses,” Minghua said, keeping his voice low. He was half laying down in his own sleeping bag, and once Jun laid down, he turned on his side to face him, propping his head up with his hand. At this angle, while Jun laid flat on his back, all that filled Jun’s vision was Minghua hovering over him, backlit by the soft light of the TV. Jun’s breath caught in his throat at the sight, but he quickly did his best to push down his nerves. He couldn’t be like this every time Minghua looked at him, or else Minghua would really start suspecting something.

“I’m sorry it’s kind of a boring sleepover. We usually do other things like play games or something, but I guess those two were really tired,” Jun whispered with a soft laugh.

Minghua gave a soft smile and shook his head, as much as he could with his hand holding one side of it. “Well I don’t have anything to compare it to, so it’s not that boring to me.”

“You’ve never been to a sleepover before?” 

Minghua face scrunched up in… concern? Jun was fairly sure that’s what he was reading from the small wrinkles in his brow and slight frown. “Is that… weird?”

Eyes widening, Jun quickly shook his head and lifted a hand to frantically wave it dismissively, as if he could physically brush away the worry gathering in Minghua’s mind. “No no no! It’s not weird!” He accidentally raised his voice a bit too loud, though it didn’t seem to faze the two sleeping beauties at all. “It’s just… surprising.”

“Why is it surprising?”

Jun hesitated, chewing on his lower lip as he dropped his hand over the other. “Because… you’re…“ He avoided Minghua’s eyes, staring past him at the ceiling, inhaling a little too sharply as he took in a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves that were fluttering in his veins like hummingbird wings.. “You’re… you—you just seem like the type of person that’d be… really popular in school. You know, the cool… aloof… chic type that everyone adores. I-I just figured you must’ve gotten invited to tons of sleepovers.”

Jun saw in his peripheral vision as Minghua shook his head and then moved out of his line of vision completely, laying down on his back and giving Jun enough space to finally _breathe_. 

“I certainly wasn’t popular. I was…” He paused and sighed, and Jun stole a glance at him to see his eyes also cast upward toward the dark ceiling. “Actually one of the _least _popular people. Save for a couple of friends, no one… really ever wanted to be around me.”

Jun’s brow furrowed and his face scrunched up in utter confusion. “Why on Earth wouldn’t people wanna be around you?” 

“Because my… _mindset_, I suppose, did not line up with theirs. Even my friends often called me crazy or delusional for the way I thought and felt,” He said it all so matter-of-factly, as if none of it fazed him, as if he was speaking about something mundane rather than the insulting opinions of his former classmates.

“That’s… That’s _crazy,_” Jun said incredulously, unconsciously becoming offended for him. He didn’t even need to know what exactly his classmates had called him crazy for. He knew that whatever it was surely wasn’t a valid reason to act in such a childish way. “There’s nothing wrong about anything you believe or feel! Whether or not they agree with you, they have no right to call you names. Your own _friends _definitely have no right to be saying such mean things.”

Minghua chuckled, and even though he wasn’t looking at him, Jun could hear the smile in his voice. “I appreciate the sentiment behind your anger, but it’s really alright. None of it bothers me. The harsh words of others have never shaken me. And my friends are simply stubborn. They hold no malice behind their words. They…” He let out a long sigh. “They just require some convincing, is all.”

Jun huffed and pulled his arms inside his sleeping bag, a small pout on his lips. He refused to believe it was fine, but if it really didn’t bother Minghua, then he would leave it be. Honestly, he kind of envied that sort of confidence. “If you say so.”

“Mm,” Minghua hummed in response, and after a beat, added,” I’m quite surprised you’re not popular, though. I expected—_would’ve_ expected you to be at the very least popular in your class.”

Jun couldn’t help but laugh at such a statement; a short, airy laugh, suppressing a louder laugh that would possibly wake his sleeping friends. “Why’s that?”

“Because you’re beautiful,” He said, in Mandarin. 

There seemed to be a delay between when the words left Minghua’s mouth and when they entered Jun’s ears, because it took a second before his fully mind processed the weight of the words, before it registered the lilt of awe in Minghua’s tone, the words filling the otherwise quiet room before condensing and floating down into Jun’s ears, filling his head with fuzzy static that only reignited his nerves.

Jun’s face instantly glowed as red as a ripe strawberry, his eyes widening and his whole body freezing for a second, before he grabbed the edge of his sleeping bag and yanked it over his head, concealing his face before Minghua could even get a chance to see it in the soft light from the TV. It may have been a bit of an overreaction to a simple compliment, but a simple compliment from your crush can instantly become a huge, heart fluttering compliment.

Minghua laughed, an adorable giggle that _really_ wasn’t helping Jun’s current mental state. “Junhui, what are you doing?” He questioned, continuing to speak in Mandarin. Even though Minsoo and Woojin were fast asleep, it had become a habit for them to still converse in Korean even if it was just the two of them, since Jun was used to it. But occasionally one of them would find themselves slipping into Mandarin since it was easier, and the conversation would naturally continue in their shared native language.

“Sleeping,” Jun quickly stated.

“Sleeping people don’t talk.”

“Some people talk in their sleep.”

“True, but I don’t believe they’re capable of carrying conversations.”

“You don’t know that,” Jun mumbled, his arguments starting to sound less and less convincing. Well, not that they were very convincing to begin with.

Minghua laughed again and shifted in his own sleeping bag, and before Jun could wonder what he was doing, his own sleeping bag was gently pulled away from his face and he once again found Minghua hovering over him, a warm smile gracing his lips.

“Did I make you flustered?” 

_Yes and you’re making it worse._

“N-No.” Jun shook his head quickly. He could still feel his face burning red and he hoped to whatever forces were out there that Minghua couldn’t see the color in the darkness, with his head partially blocking out the light.

“You’re cute,” Minghua whispered and let go of the sleeping bag to gently rest his hand over Jun’s, utter fondness coating his voice like sugar and making his smiling face seem as if it softly glowed like stars in the distance (his mind was far too preoccupied to question whether this was the same thing as what he saw in the arcade).

And as much as Jun slightly feared these strange feelings that set his skin ablaze and filled his stomach with a million butterflies and hummingbirds, that squeezed his heart so much more than any other crush he had ever had before, as much as the same fear from a mere few hours ago told him to scurry away and avoid this overwhelming situation… 

There was a part of him that wanted this moment to last forever.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, he couldn’t decide), the moment was interrupted when Minsoo’s mumbling alerted them both that he was waking up. 

Minghua quickly slid back to his own sleeping bag and Jun once again hid himself away in his just as Minsoo pulled himself to his feet and stumbled out of the room like a zombie. Jun only looked out once he heard the bathroom door creak shut.

Feeling a little brave for a brief moment, Jun slowly turned on his side to face Minghua, finding Minghua already looking at him with a soft smile. His bravery almost instantly depleted and he ended up pulling the sleeping bag up to cover the lower half of his face, the action only making Minghua’s smile widen a bit.

“You should get some sleep,” He whispered All Jun could do was nod before closing his eyes. He didn’t even realize how tired he actually was until he closed them and found himself quickly drifting off, one last thing reaching his ears before he was carried away to a peaceful slumber.

“Goodnight, Junhui.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> { chapter title from "Starry Sky" by Astro }


	5. Shining Starlight, Beautiful Night

Celestial beings are not meant to have human emotions. 

Rather more specifically, it is not in their design to naturally possess things as complex as human emotions. It is true that they do deeply care for their brothers and sisters, and one may get lonely if ever they wandered too far from home. But their bodies made of stardust and ice crystals were never given the capability to experience the wide array of emotions that humans are born with. And celestial beings were never bothered by this fact one bit.

Minghua, however, was a rare case that actively _wished_ to learn how to possess something as beautiful and strange as human emotions.

The strangest emotion of all, one that both enchanted him and puzzled him, was the unconditional thing called _love_. Everything humans did in their lives revolved around love.

Humans stayed in jobs they hated, because they loved their families and wished to provide for them. Humans seeked out things they feared, simply because some innate urge in them loved the thrill of adventure. Humans pranced around in lavish clothing and shamelessly showed off their beauty to everyone that would pay them attention, because they loved themselves and wished to express that to the world.

Humans seeked out the company and comfort of other humans, because, whether it be platonic or familial or romantic, they craved love in its purest form, from the moment they’re born.

It had been two weeks since Minghua arrived on Earth, and he had watched through the bright curious eyes of a child as all types of love unfolded before him every single day. From watching how even though the utter exhaustion weighed heavy on their teacher’s face, she still smiled so genuinely whenever a student asked a thought provoking question and reminded her of why she took this job in the first place. To watching how Junhui withdrew into himself whenever he was alone in class, hating being in a school where he struggled to keep up with the language, and yet he still came in day after day just so he could see the friends that made his struggles a little easier.

Minghua relished in the fact that he had become one of those friends.

It really became apparent to him how much happiness he brought Junhui when he walked into class on this Monday morning, and watched as, the second Junhui looked up and saw him in the doorway, his previously bored expression quickly shifted to a smile brighter than any star in the galaxy. Every fiber of his being felt like it might explode right there and fizzle away into pure stardust.

“Minsoo and Woojin aren’t here yet?” He asked as he approached the desk.

Junhui shook his head. “They mentioned in the group chat that they were stopping somewhere on the way. Didn’t you see it?”

“Oh.” Minghua pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on, finding that he did indeed have a few unread messages. “Sorry, I’m bad at checking my messages.”

After it became much too difficult for the boys to get in touch with Minghua when he didn’t have a phone and he refused to say where he lived (he couldn’t very well tell them he didn’t actually live anywhere), the three of them pitched in all of their savings to get him the cheapest smartphone they could find. And after some serious convincing, involving emphasizing how crucial it was for a student to have a phone so they could be involved in class group chats, and stretching the truth a little to say that Minghua’s parents were suffering some real hard times, Junhui got his parents to put Minghua on their cellular plan.

Junhui giggled, a sound Minghua still couldn’t hear without his stomach doing a hundred somersaults. “I still can’t believe you’ve never used a phone before. How did you manage that?”

“I figured it out,” Minghua said simply, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “By the way…”

“Hm?”

“Why are you sitting in my seat?”

Indeed, Junhui was happily lounging in Minghua’s seat, leaned back with arms crossed. He responded with a shrug and an innocent smile. “It’s comfier than my seat.”

“They’re all the same, though.”

“Nah, I think yours is comfier somehow. I think I’ll sit here from now on.”

Minghua raised a brow, giving Junhui an amused smile. “Well, if your seat is less comfortable than mine, I don’t think I want to switch.”

“Too bad, this is mine now.”

Minghua walked around to the side of the desk, slamming his hands on the desk and the back of the chair and leaning down closer to Junhui’s face. Junhui tried to continue to play innocent, but his calm facade was breaking as he leaned away from Minghua and struggled to hold in his laughter.

“I believe it is _my _seat,” Minghua said, both eyebrows raised with the amused smile still in place.

Junhui shook his head. “Nope, my seat now.”

When Minghua didn’t respond for a moment, Junhui seemed to assume that he was actually going to give in with this little joke, as he slowly sat up straighter and opened his mouth to say something, most likely to remind him it _was_ just a joke. But, he was sorely mistaken. 

Lifting both hands from the desk, he quickly jabbed his fingers into Junhui’s sides, instantly sending him into a fit of laughter as he fruitlessly attempted to squirm away, his laughter making Minghua laugh the hardest he’s ever laughed. 

“M-Minghua-a!” Junhui squealed, squirming and weakly swatting at Minghua’s arms. It was evident that several students were staring at them, but Minghua didn’t care one bit. It was just lucky that Minghua’s seatmate wasn’t there yet, or else Junhui would have been leaning right onto her. “Alright, alright, I give in!”

Minghua immediately stopped tickling, a grin plastered on his face as he stood up straight. His grin didn’t even fall when Junhui glared at him, because he knew there was no actual malice behind it. 

Ever since the sleepover, Junhui had opened up more around Minghua, thus making Minghua open up more as well. He couldn’t understand exactly how it happened, but that night had made them infinitely more comfortable with each other, enough where they could easily tease each other without an awkward bubble forming around them afterward.

“You’re so mean,” Junhui muttered, his lower lip stuck out in a pitiful pout.

Minghua chuckled. Junhui could be such a child sometimes. It was actually quite endearing. “I would happily switch with you if it weren’t for our loud and disruptive friend sitting in front of your seat.”

“... Yeah, that’s fair.”

“Myunghwa-yah! Jun-ah!”

Both boys turned to see Minsoo and Woojin walking into class; Minsoo doing the shouting, Woojin shaking his head while covering his face with his hand. Minghua stole a glance at Junhui to see his face lighting up as bright as the sun as he waved to his friends, and the sight made Minghua’s entire body resonate with that warm, fuzzy feeling humans always mentioned when talking about something they loved with their whole heart. 

Love was truly an amazing thing.

* * *

“Junhui, come stargaze with me tonight.”

“... No that’s surely too forward.”

“Junhui, will… you come stargaze with me tonight?”

“... Should I ask him if he likes stargazing first? I know he does, but _he _doesn’t know that I know.”

His words were just barely a whisper as he spoke them for only himself to hear. Minghua was alone in the bathroom during lunch, pacing back and forth, his footsteps echoing in the empty room. He finally stopped in front of the sinks and looked at himself in the mirror. 

His hair ripped from the night sky glittered in the bright fluorescent lights. His skin looked almost transparent as he moved his hand across his chest, pressing his palm flat against the left side, feeling nothing but the faint thrum of the star matter working within him to resemble a heartbeat as best it could. He blinked two times, and his eyes went from a deep brown, to their real appearance of tiny galaxies, then back to brown.

How did such a strange, otherworldly being like himself develop such real emotions like fear and worry?

It both excited and terrified him.

His plan when he came to Earth had seemed so simple; find the boy with the beautiful voice, get to know him, and confess his love for him. Confessing your undying love to someone would be easy, wouldn’t it? He had watched humans do it every day. He had been sure he would be able to do it in no time.

But now, he could barely work up the nerve to even ask Junhui on what was essentially a _date_, without _really _being a date.

Human emotions were amazing to watch, but incredibly frustrating to deal with.

All he wanted to do was take Junhui to the park and stargaze; learn how his home looked through his eyes. He had read online that the stars would be the brightest that night, even in areas polluted by such harsh artificial lights. 

It was a simple question. It most likely wouldn’t even seem like a date to Junhui. He would simply see it as two friends hanging out.

So why was it so hard? 

“Minghua?” 

He nearly jumped out of his skin as he spun around, wide eyes finding Junhui standing in the doorway with a concerned look on his face.

“Yes?” He said, and internally cursed his voice for cracking a little.

“I just… wanted to check if you were alright. You’ve been in here a while. Lunch is almost over.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Minghua cleared his throat and straightened his clothes, even though they weren’t actually wrinkled and didn’t need any real fixing. “I’m fine, I just… felt a little under the weather.” When Junhui frowned, Minghua quickly added, “But I feel perfectly fine now, so it must have been nothing.”

Junhui’s mouth quickly closed and a soft smile replaced his frown.

They both stayed silent for a few minutes while they walked back to the cafeteria, until Junhui suddenly, and a bit loudly, cleared his throat and spoke up.

“Did you know that the stars are gonna be really bright tonight? I think you’ll even be able to see some planets!”

Minghua resisted the urge to grin like an idiot, keeping his eyes focused ahead. “Is that so?”

“Mhm! Woojin, Minsoo, and I wanted to find a nice spot to stargaze. Did you wanna come with? I mean, you are a part of our group now so we automatically assumed you’d come, but I still wanted to ask first.”

As much as he was a little disappointed that he wouldn’t get to spend the night alone with Junhui, it was outweighed by the odd happiness that filled him at the simple confirmation that he was a real part of their friend group. He finally turned his head and the grin he had been trying to hold back broke full force across his face as he nodded. “I’d love to come.” 

His expression seemed to take Junhui by surprise, as the boy’s cheeks and ears quickly turned rosy red, and he promptly looked away. “G-Great!” He squeaked out and picked up the pace to hurry back to the cafeteria. 

Minghua quickly followed, unable to stop smiling the whole time. 

* * *

Before they knew it, the sun finally began to set behind the horizon. Soft blue bloomed into soft pinks and oranges that enveloped the clouds in their hues. Soft pinks and oranges faded away into deep blue, clouds slowly dissipating and making way for shining little stars appearing one by one. The moon sat full and high long before the sky was finally blanketed in a deep black, twinkling stars lighting up the night with all their wonder, the moon shining brighter than ever, as if the lunar goddess herself was smiling down upon all the people watching the stars that night.

A little while after sunset, Minsoo sent a message in their group chat to inform them that he found a good spot in the park to stargaze. Luckily for Minghua, he was already in the park not far from Minsoo’s spot. Seeing as he didn’t really need a home as he didn’t need sleep, Minghua mostly hung out in the park at night, since it was the place where one could usually see the stars the best.

Even though he loved Earth, Minghua did sometimes miss home. Watching the little amount of stars he could see made him a little less homesick.

He arrived at the spot just as Junhui arrived with a bag filled to the top with snacks. When Minghua raised a questioning eyebrow at him, Junhui just smiled a little sheepishly as he set the bag down on the blanket Woojin had laid out.

“I thought that we could make this into a little picnic,” Junhui explained. “So I went to get a few snacks, but I couldn’t decide what to get and there was so much marked down, soooo I kinda got carried away.” He gave a little shy giggle as he sat down.

_You’re so cute_, Minghua wanted to say, but it was far too embarrassing to say that in front of Minsoo and Woojin. So instead he smiled and sat down beside Junhui, with a simple reply, “Well, at least we have plenty to choose from.” 

The quiet night quickly became filled with chatter and laughter. The four of them laid sprawled out on the blanket, pointing out constellations they could find, and making up their own odd shapes.

“Look! A shooting star!” Minsoo gasped and pointed out the bright light streaking across the sky. 

“Wow… the reports said nothing about shooting stars,” Woojin said, eyes wide in awe. 

“Look! Another one!” Junhui gasped and pointed it out. 

“Quick, make a wish!” Minsoo exclaimed and then squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating hard.

“Hm?” Minghua turned his head to Junhui, brows furrowed in confusion. 

Junhui tore his eyes away from the sky long enough to register Minghua’s confusion, though as he spoke, he quickly looked back, obviously unable to keep his eyes away from the wondrous display for too long. “You don’t know? You gotta make a wish when you see a shooting star.”

“Does it come true..?”

Junhui shrugged. “I dunno, I’ve never actually made a wish on a shooting star. But who knows? Maybe it will come true.”

It seemed a bit silly. Those “shooting stars” were just tiny pieces of dust or rock that hit the Earth’s atmosphere. There was really nothing spectacular about them. But even so, as Minghua looked back to the sky, he found himself kind of amazed that humans could give insignificant pieces of space dust such a special power. 

And he found himself kind of wanting to believe in it, even if it felt silly.

Hesitantly, he closed his eyes and tried to think up a wish. 

“You gotta make it a good one,” Junhui suddenly said, and Minghua opened his eyes to look at Junhui, who was already looking at him with a smile. “You gotta make it something that you _really _wish to come true. You gotta wish for it with all your whole heart. At least… that’s what I’ve heard people say.”

With a nod, Minghua closed his eyes once more. 

A good wish. Okay.

Something that he wishes for with all his heart.

Okay.

He had it.

_I wish… _

_I wish to be with Junhui forever. Just like this._

_Whether he accepts my feelings or not, I wish to be able to stay by his side for all his life._

_Maybe even longer… if that’s even possible._

_That’s all I want. _

_I wish for Junhui to let me stay by his side… forever… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> { chapter title from "Starlight" by BOL4 }


	6. Silver Moonlight

The next night, even though the stars weren’t quite as bright anymore and the moon was slowly waning, Jun invited Minghua out to stargaze once more.

This time though, it was just the two of them.

Don’t get him wrong, he loved spending time with Minsoo and Woojin, he truly did, but… there was just something about Minghua. Something he couldn’t explain, that made him desperately want to be closer to him, to spend as much time as possible around him, to get to know everything about him. As much as his strange rush of feelings for Minghua had terrified him before—and frankly, still did a little—he felt the need to finally stop running from them, and let the universe lead him wherever it wanted.

They set up in roughly the same spot they had set up the night before, sprawled out on a thick picnic blanket, Jun’s too long legs stretched out a little past the edge, damp grass tickling his bare ankles where his pant legs bunched up. Minghua’s knees were slightly bent, his sock-clad feet planted flat on the soft fabric, his shoes discarded to the side so he wouldn’t get the blanket dirty. Well, more so than it already was.

As Jun turned his head to look at Minghua, his brows furrowed a bit as he tried to decipher the odd expression on his face. His eyes looked distant, like he was off somewhere else entirely, but the corners of his mouth were curved slightly upward, just a hint of a smile, something he may not have even noticed if he wasn’t staring so intently.

“Hey,” He said softly. Minghua didn’t look at him. “What’re you thinking about?”

That seemed to snap him back to reality a little. Minghua blinked and slowly turned his head, shifting his eyes even slower, as if he couldn’t bear to tear his eyes away from the night sky. Jun found it strangely endearing.

“Just…” Minghua started, trailing off, his eyes wandering to the side as he seemed to struggle with the answer. “Life, I suppose.”

“Oh?” Jun quirked a brow. “Like… what, exactly?” He asked, his voice even softer than before, and he sort of regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, afraid that he overstepped some boundary, especially when Minghua’s expression had looked so melancholic while thinking.

But to his surprise, Minghua answered with a gentle smile. “I just feel… very lucky to have been given the chance to live on this Earth, and experience all the wonders this world has to offer. It’s… quite an amazing place to live.”

He didn’t mean to, but Jun couldn’t help the little giggle that bubbled up from his chest. Minghua looked at him with one eyebrow raised, and Jun tried to quickly calm himself, “S-Sorry,” He said, still giggling a little, then cleared his throat. “I’m not laughing at you, I promise. You’re just… a very interesting person, Minghua.”

“Is that a good or a bad thing?” Minghua asked, a smile tugging at one corner of his lips.

Jun giggled again. “Good thing.” He slowly pushed himself up on his elbows. “You’re honestly the most interesting person I’ve ever met. You have a really positive outlook on life that just — I just don’t know how you do it.”

Minghua lifted one shoulder in a half shrug as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, leaning back on his hands, legs stretching out over the damp grass. “Earth… does have its problems and pushes so many of those on the people, but… that isn’t all that Earth is. It’s… also full of love and friendship and… and so many small, remarkable things.” His gaze became far off, a soft smile on his lips. “The feel of the morning air in your lungs, the sounds of night as the city falls asleep, the sensation of your whole body thrumming with energy because you’re so happy you can hardly contain it…” He craned his head back to admire the stars overhead, twinkling white dots painted on a deep blue canvas. If Jun had been looking anywhere near his hands, he would’ve seen one hand slowly clutch the blanket, shaking ever so slightly. “The night sky watching over us…”

Jun’s breath left his lungs like he had been holding it for far too long. Minghua was so… strange, yet poetic with the way he talked about Earth, the way he referred to it as if he was somehow an outsider, the way a foreigner might talk about an unfamiliar country that they fell in love with. Jun usually tried not to focus too much time focusing on that, knowing it would send him down a train of thought that would quickly spiral out of control and make his head spin. But during times like this, he really couldn’t help but feel his mind wandering toward questions that would surely never get answered.

He quickly tried to shake away those thoughts and questions, though, sitting up fully and pushing his hands hard into the ground to ground himself. He brought his legs in to cross them. “That… is a very good way to look at things,” His voice came out smaller than intended, and he cleared his throat before continuing. “I guess… all you can really do is focus on the positives to keep yourself from going crazy.” He laughed a little, and Minghua smiled and nodded in response, his eyes once again fixed on the sky.

After a beat, Jun glanced upward, then back to Minghua. “You like the stars a lot, huh?”

“Mm,” Another nod. “I love them.”

“Me too. I actually like to stargaze on my balcony most nights, and… “ He trailed off, not realizing until that moment where his words were leading until they had already begun to tumble out. He kind of hoped Minghua wouldn’t notice, that he would be too focused on the stars, but of course, Minghua’s ears were too sharp.

“And…?” 

_Damn it. _Letting out a deep sigh, Jun’s head ducked down and his eyes darted down to his hands in his lap, gripping his exposed ankles a little too tightly until the skin turned white around his fingers. “And I — Well, I… usually like to sing to the stars.”

“Oh?” He could hear the smile in Minghua’s voice. Jun let out a little nervous laugh, afraid the smile and tone were teasing.

“Y-Yeah, it’s kinda silly, I know, but — “

“It’s not.” Jun finally looked to Minghua as his eyebrows flew up, finding the boy with a warm smile that made something lurch in his chest. “It’s really not. I think it’s wonderfully endearing.”

His cheeks immediately flushed a deep pink, and he had to swallow down a lump in his throat, though even after, he still couldn’t find the right words, his mouth simply falling slightly ajar as his tongue suddenly felt incredibly dry. Minghua chuckled at his face, which definitely help. 

“Could… I hear you sing?” 

That question quickly snapped the ability of speech back into his brain. He stammered for a bit, sitting up painfully straight. “R-Right now?”

“You could close your eyes and pretend you’re only singing for the stars, if that would help you.” 

Jun hesitated. While he certainly loved singing, he had never sung in front of anyone other than his parents and brother. Thinking about singing for someone new, _especially_ Minghua, was… terrifying. What if he forgot the words halfway through? What if his voice just didn’t come out at all? 

When Jun didn’t say anything for a good minute, too wrapped up in his own anxious thoughts, Minghua scooted a bit closer and placed a gentle hand on his knee, Jun’s wide eyes snapping to him. “You don’t have to if you really don’t want to.” He smiled, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “Seeing as your voice is already lovely and pleasant to listen to, I was just curious how much more so it would be when you sang.”

Jun swallowed. Oh God.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he glanced down to Minghua’s hand. He had gotten mostly used to the strange buzzing, tingling sensation he felt whenever Minghua touched him, but in moments like this, the world around them seemed to fall into a silence as the sensation became the only thing he could feel. 

“I-I’ll just sing a little bit, okay?” He said softly, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Minghua nod.

“That’s perfectly fine.”

Once Minghua took his hand back, Jun took in another deep breath and closed his eyes, craning his head back. He tried to pretend it was just him, sitting on his balcony, with nothing but the stars and moon for an audience, as he began to softly sing.

* * *

In over eighteen-thousand years of existence, Minghua could have never imagined he would ever get the chance to experience a moment like this.

He had heard Junhui sing dozens of times from his home in the cosmos. He had believed he was already well prepared for the beauty of his voice. He hadn’t anticipated at all how drastically different it would feel to hear his singing when they were just one foot apart, rather than millions of light years apart.

His voice was… ethereal. Magical. Utterly breathtaking. He was sure that if he said any of those words aloud though, Junhui would be quick to deny all of them. But it was all so true. 

He watched and listened as the song started out a little shaky, voice wavering under his nerves. But as he got further in, as he let the lyrics flow from his lips so naturally, he lost himself in the gentle melodies of the ballad. A smile slowly spread across his face, his body swaying back and forth to the music in his head. It was such a beautiful sight. 

And it was in this moment, that the utter beauty of his singing and his love for Junhui came crashing together, the stardust within him humming with energy, his skin suddenly warm under his hands, something in his chest squeezing and growing with every word that left Junhui’s lips. In a flash, his entire body felt terribly overwhelmed in both good and unfamiliar ways, that he couldn’t decide if they were also good, or bad.

A heavy pressure suddenly formed behind his eyes, and when it was released, his vision was slightly blurred as something wet ran down his cheek. He lifted a hand to wipe it away, and found himself letting out a horrified gasp when he looked down in hopeless confusion at the substance coloring his fingers.

He didn’t even notice Junhui abruptly stop his song.

Glittering silver tears painted his eyelashes and cheeks as they fell in thick streams, dribbling off his chin and staining the bits of grass on the blanket, shining dazzlingly bright in the moonlight. 

"What..." His voice came out barely above a whisper, words cracking and dying before they even reached his lips, unable to think of what he even wanted to ask. What was this? What was happening to him? His body felt warm and fuzzy from listening to Junhui sing, and yet at the same time, his head _hurt_. His eyes stung, his hands trembled, and his stomach was twisting into knots as panic began to quickly settle in. His entire body suddenly felt like it wasn't his own anymore as tears continued to flow, staining his pants and arms. He felt like he was falling apart, and it made him momentarily wonder if celestial bodies had expiration dates. The mere thought had him choking on sobs.

Luckily, Junhui's gentle voice brought him back to reality.

He looked up from his stained hands, and for just a moment, he saw panic and confusion in Jun's face, but it was quickly replaced by a shaky but reassuring smile. His hands reached forward and cupped Minghua's cheeks, thumbs gently brushing away what he could of the strange tears.

"Am... I dying?" Minghua found himself blurting out. It was the only logical explanation he could come up with.

A pause. For a second, Minghua saw panicked confusion rise back up in his eyes, and his hands trembled against his skin.

But with a deep breath, Junhui's eyes were quickly focused and calm again. "Minghua, you're... you're just crying. It's normal," He reassured, keeping his voice low and gentle. "Have... you never cried before?" He seemed hesitant to ask, as if he already knew what kind of answer he would get. And when Minghua just slowly shook his head, his mouth turned down in a small frown.

"Why... Why am I crying?" Minghua croaked. His hands helplessly hung in the air just above his legs, unsure of what to do with them. He had seen humans cry before, but he had never even considered it to be something his artificial body could experience. Why did something apparently so normal hurt so much?

To his surprise, Junhui didn’t answer his question. He just stared, brows slightly furrowed, his warm hands gently wiping away each glittering tear that fell, his fingers quickly becoming painted like a shining metal statue. Minghua furiously blinked away the tears obscuring his vision as he looked into Junhui’s eyes, trying desperately to read them behind the calm mask he wore. 

He could tell Junhui wanted to say something, but was too scared to. And Minghua was too nervous to speak first and coax it out of him. 

Really, what could be said?

* * *

He wanted to ask.

No. He _needed _to ask.

But the words kept getting stuck in his throat. Every time he opened his mouth, nothing came out, leaving him to just silently flap his lips like a fish out of water. He was sure he looked strange, silently fighting with himself, sighing with frustration, worrying his bottom lip until the skin was raw. But if Minghua did find any of it strange, he didn't say anything. Though Jun couldn't decide whether that was better or worse.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Jun slowly dropped his hands from Minghua’s face, and managed to find his voice. 

"Minghua... what..." His voice cracked, coming out as barely above a whisper. 

He cleared his throat, hands clenching against his thighs, glittering silver streaking across his pants like acrylic paint.

He _had_ to ask.

"What... _are_ you?"


End file.
